It is not just the Law schools taking this hit, Dr. Reich, it is the Legal Profession. This was a noble profession of very, very long standing. People like Cruz, De Santis, Rubio, and two many others are blackening this profession. As are members of the formerly Supreme Court. The American Bar Association needs to investigate and take action. If we are once again to hold the Legal Profession in the esteem it used to deserve then it is up to the membership of the American Bar Association and every State Bar Association to demand that their profession uphold its duty to the public as a whole and condemn those who trample its reputation into dust.
ı feel the deepest profoundest sense of grıef over the dısappearence of the country where ı grew up. at age 80 and a 100% disabled us veteran who happened to enlist during the cuba crisis i have seen the end of the usa starting with bush v gore and five us supreme court justices taking massive bribes openly selling out our democracy and virtually no real outrage left right or center gore kerry obama all getting along quite nicely with the systematic dismantling of law in favor of the power of the few . and fail to comprehend it nor how and why obama's selling off a democratic super majority in both houses so he would not preside over any triumph of progressive policy under his administration ruling out single payer medical care and just reimbursement of taxpayer investment in medicine and every other industry in the economy, every industry benefitting from us industrial policy and not returning a sou to the taxpayer but getting tax relief transfering 90% of gain in productivity from workers to the top 1%
transforming the country in the last 30 some odd years from the world's most socially mobile to its least while stiffing working people with every increasing debt and scamming our working class with every increasing interest on students education. while building the world's largest penal system torturing poor people.
Professor Reich, I do wish you could hear the loud and protracted applause coming from this writer! I have been railing and ranting about the "elite" Ivy League (especially) schools' law schools' (and other, but mostly law) graduates who seem to number disproportionately among the liars, seditionists, profiteers, and experts at public corruption. I have wondered (aloud to kind relatives) why academic institutions don't or can't rescind degrees. It should be broadcast loudly and often that these "bent" figures are graduates of the schools that tout themselves as superior to other institutions when, in fact, they graduate "lawyers" and public "servants" who might as well have gotten a degree from the P.T. Barnum College of Carnival Barkers as expert "carnies." The reason so many public figures are graduates of Harvard, Yale, Princeton is "who ya know" and so the machine keeps feeding itself and taking care of its own. American education in general though is failing at "making" good citizens and decent human beings.
Great praise and appreciation for this article, Professor Reich.
Given William "Bill" Barr, Rudy Guiliani, Sydney Powell, Ted Cruz, Ron DeSantis, Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton, et al. et al....one wonders: what does it mean to be an attorney in America these days? Why are those people and their ilk still able to practice law at all? Shouldn't they be relegated to some dusty office in some run-down building in some downtown, no elevator, no AC, a receptionist named "Velda" at a shabby old desk and the lettering on the door saying, Bill Barr, Private Dick and Dog Walker, LLC.
(Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, et al., apologies.)
These two Harvard Law grads also point up the inconvenient fact that Harvard Law School — like Yale Law, which I attended decades ago — is little more than a trade school that teaches students how to make money by winning cases for clients, but doesn’t impart a higher public duty to uphold and strengthen democracy and the rule of law.
Feb 7, 2023·edited Feb 7, 2023Liked by Robert Reich
I want to go to law school but there are so many barriers that they put in place that make it almost impossible. if I became a lawyer, I would be a white-collar crime prosecutor and advocate for labor rights. Seeing these corporations violate the law of disabled workers and anyone they don't like makes me so angry. And the way corporations have taken over our country is outrageous. I would be the lawyer that they all fear. I am a member of United For Respect Walmart chapter a labor rights advocacy group and we are getting things done that Walmart will never do without pressure.
Rich, privileged, elitist, it is no surprise Harvard wanted them and they wanted Harvard. Wealth still opens doors that minority status alone cannot compete with. But, nobody sees the irony in vilifying affirmative action. But, in fairness to Harvard, assuming that is ever necessary, how Cruz and DeSantis were b4 law school probably had the most effect on how they are now. I went to a good law school and was an anomaly for being very liberal and from a middle class family.
It's about time someone called Harvard Law School out. I grew up with the impression that Harvard was the gold standard of schools. As a Massachusetts native, I had the impression that it was the pinnacle of success to achieve entry and actually graduate from there. Money ruins everything.
The fact that our legal system is riddled with rodent judges and rules that allow endless appeals has given lawyers a very bad name ; equivocating them to sharks. Why does our justice system allow frivolous suits? Money! Filthy rotten greed has ruined the trust in our 'justice system. Thank you ; Robert Reich, for this topic. It's about time to put their feet to the fire and name the problem! Maybe some day it can be rectified!
Ted Cruz has been a continual embarrassment to Texas residents. Unfortunately, the chances for his rejection by voters in the state seem to be zero. His advocacy of appointing an electoral commission in the wake of the 2020 election was an outrage. He should not be in any public office.
I just wrote about another RWNJ fascist phenomenon on an article from the Daily Kos' site.
Robert thinks and I agree that Ted Cruz (don't call me Rafael) & Ron DeSantis (DeSatan) are the only two of the possible 'others' able to put down TFG as of now.
Both are insanely flawed, are leaning, hell, falling for fascism so much that it's a wonder they're not flashing the Nazi logo.
These two are completely unfit to be in government in any capacity, at least where our Democratic Republic is concerned because of their f**ked up views of what they think they the country needs (more corporate welfare, no new taxes on the wealthy, and kowtowing to these religious extremists)-- NOT!
Similar to a comment I made years ago about MBA's being an expensive technical certification, but that would be unfair to technology, since the big MBA programs could just as well be renamed Masters of Wealth, Inequality, and Greed. Our profit and status driven "world class university" reputation is now horribly overpriced and status craving, just like our 2x the cost of ROW healthcare which has lowered our life expectancy to 53/54th or so in the world. Hypocrisy rises to the top: thousands of lives destroyed by war on drugs, while intentional homicide never punished for one company driving mass opiate addiction & death, aspirations of safety in a land full of corrupt politicians, sociopathic cops, and paranoid triggered gun worshippers, and the rot infecting a GIP even Abe wouldn't recognize. The USSC has laid waste our Constitution with secret political donations, Fetus deification, and 6 deeply corrupt Federalist Society tools with the required sub-standard intellect, empathy vacuum, and free of genuine real-legal experience to be forever dependent on their overlords for orders. But Harvard has no monopoly, let's not overlook UC Berkeley's Professor John Yoo, who shares the shilling for Trump title, worked to nullify our deepest, most comprehensive, and pivotal international obligations (Geneva Conventions, freely used against Nazis and ignored by Bush/Chaney/Yoo), pushes warrior executive BS with no war, plus unitary executive heresy and likely on the FS shortlist for USSC. He includes the petigrees of Yale, Harvard, and UC all in one toxic Bolton-like package. A few of his students could likely nuke the Constitution (or Gas it, he's against poison gas treaties because, mass death) in seconds.
I took some online courses (MOOCs) from Ivy League schools. My impression was that our Democratic Republic was designed to protect the wealthy elite from the will of the masses. That is why we have checks and balances, bicameral, electoral college, etc. Madison explains in Federalist paper # 10. The masses can't be trusted, so "we" will make it almost impossible for them to get their way. It has worked the way it was intended. Although more than 70 % of the population wants single-payer universal healthcare, we still don't have it. Obama let us down, as did Clinton. They joined the ranks of the wealthy elite, as did many of our legislators who became wealthy after being elected.
Let’s also remember the elite business schools, including Harvard, which have taught their MBA students that increasing shareholder value is the goal of the corporation. Nothing else matters. This lesson has been the downfall of many once-great companies and part of the reason we have such inequitable distribution of wealth.
When I say the US has the best government money can buy, I also include the educational and the legal system in that indictment. Ask anyone poor or of color if they get justice in America and prepare to be laughed out of the house. We are a nation of ideals most often honored in their breach.
It is not just the Law schools taking this hit, Dr. Reich, it is the Legal Profession. This was a noble profession of very, very long standing. People like Cruz, De Santis, Rubio, and two many others are blackening this profession. As are members of the formerly Supreme Court. The American Bar Association needs to investigate and take action. If we are once again to hold the Legal Profession in the esteem it used to deserve then it is up to the membership of the American Bar Association and every State Bar Association to demand that their profession uphold its duty to the public as a whole and condemn those who trample its reputation into dust.
ı feel the deepest profoundest sense of grıef over the dısappearence of the country where ı grew up. at age 80 and a 100% disabled us veteran who happened to enlist during the cuba crisis i have seen the end of the usa starting with bush v gore and five us supreme court justices taking massive bribes openly selling out our democracy and virtually no real outrage left right or center gore kerry obama all getting along quite nicely with the systematic dismantling of law in favor of the power of the few . and fail to comprehend it nor how and why obama's selling off a democratic super majority in both houses so he would not preside over any triumph of progressive policy under his administration ruling out single payer medical care and just reimbursement of taxpayer investment in medicine and every other industry in the economy, every industry benefitting from us industrial policy and not returning a sou to the taxpayer but getting tax relief transfering 90% of gain in productivity from workers to the top 1%
transforming the country in the last 30 some odd years from the world's most socially mobile to its least while stiffing working people with every increasing debt and scamming our working class with every increasing interest on students education. while building the world's largest penal system torturing poor people.
Professor Reich, I do wish you could hear the loud and protracted applause coming from this writer! I have been railing and ranting about the "elite" Ivy League (especially) schools' law schools' (and other, but mostly law) graduates who seem to number disproportionately among the liars, seditionists, profiteers, and experts at public corruption. I have wondered (aloud to kind relatives) why academic institutions don't or can't rescind degrees. It should be broadcast loudly and often that these "bent" figures are graduates of the schools that tout themselves as superior to other institutions when, in fact, they graduate "lawyers" and public "servants" who might as well have gotten a degree from the P.T. Barnum College of Carnival Barkers as expert "carnies." The reason so many public figures are graduates of Harvard, Yale, Princeton is "who ya know" and so the machine keeps feeding itself and taking care of its own. American education in general though is failing at "making" good citizens and decent human beings.
Great praise and appreciation for this article, Professor Reich.
Given William "Bill" Barr, Rudy Guiliani, Sydney Powell, Ted Cruz, Ron DeSantis, Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton, et al. et al....one wonders: what does it mean to be an attorney in America these days? Why are those people and their ilk still able to practice law at all? Shouldn't they be relegated to some dusty office in some run-down building in some downtown, no elevator, no AC, a receptionist named "Velda" at a shabby old desk and the lettering on the door saying, Bill Barr, Private Dick and Dog Walker, LLC.
(Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, et al., apologies.)
These two Harvard Law grads also point up the inconvenient fact that Harvard Law School — like Yale Law, which I attended decades ago — is little more than a trade school that teaches students how to make money by winning cases for clients, but doesn’t impart a higher public duty to uphold and strengthen democracy and the rule of law.
Wow, so, so true!
I want to go to law school but there are so many barriers that they put in place that make it almost impossible. if I became a lawyer, I would be a white-collar crime prosecutor and advocate for labor rights. Seeing these corporations violate the law of disabled workers and anyone they don't like makes me so angry. And the way corporations have taken over our country is outrageous. I would be the lawyer that they all fear. I am a member of United For Respect Walmart chapter a labor rights advocacy group and we are getting things done that Walmart will never do without pressure.
Rich, privileged, elitist, it is no surprise Harvard wanted them and they wanted Harvard. Wealth still opens doors that minority status alone cannot compete with. But, nobody sees the irony in vilifying affirmative action. But, in fairness to Harvard, assuming that is ever necessary, how Cruz and DeSantis were b4 law school probably had the most effect on how they are now. I went to a good law school and was an anomaly for being very liberal and from a middle class family.
It's about time someone called Harvard Law School out. I grew up with the impression that Harvard was the gold standard of schools. As a Massachusetts native, I had the impression that it was the pinnacle of success to achieve entry and actually graduate from there. Money ruins everything.
The fact that our legal system is riddled with rodent judges and rules that allow endless appeals has given lawyers a very bad name ; equivocating them to sharks. Why does our justice system allow frivolous suits? Money! Filthy rotten greed has ruined the trust in our 'justice system. Thank you ; Robert Reich, for this topic. It's about time to put their feet to the fire and name the problem! Maybe some day it can be rectified!
Ted Cruz has been a continual embarrassment to Texas residents. Unfortunately, the chances for his rejection by voters in the state seem to be zero. His advocacy of appointing an electoral commission in the wake of the 2020 election was an outrage. He should not be in any public office.
I just wrote about another RWNJ fascist phenomenon on an article from the Daily Kos' site.
Robert thinks and I agree that Ted Cruz (don't call me Rafael) & Ron DeSantis (DeSatan) are the only two of the possible 'others' able to put down TFG as of now.
Both are insanely flawed, are leaning, hell, falling for fascism so much that it's a wonder they're not flashing the Nazi logo.
These two are completely unfit to be in government in any capacity, at least where our Democratic Republic is concerned because of their f**ked up views of what they think they the country needs (more corporate welfare, no new taxes on the wealthy, and kowtowing to these religious extremists)-- NOT!
Stay 'woke' my friends.
That is all for now...
Does one go to Law School to learn how to seek justice? Haha, just kidding.
Similar to a comment I made years ago about MBA's being an expensive technical certification, but that would be unfair to technology, since the big MBA programs could just as well be renamed Masters of Wealth, Inequality, and Greed. Our profit and status driven "world class university" reputation is now horribly overpriced and status craving, just like our 2x the cost of ROW healthcare which has lowered our life expectancy to 53/54th or so in the world. Hypocrisy rises to the top: thousands of lives destroyed by war on drugs, while intentional homicide never punished for one company driving mass opiate addiction & death, aspirations of safety in a land full of corrupt politicians, sociopathic cops, and paranoid triggered gun worshippers, and the rot infecting a GIP even Abe wouldn't recognize. The USSC has laid waste our Constitution with secret political donations, Fetus deification, and 6 deeply corrupt Federalist Society tools with the required sub-standard intellect, empathy vacuum, and free of genuine real-legal experience to be forever dependent on their overlords for orders. But Harvard has no monopoly, let's not overlook UC Berkeley's Professor John Yoo, who shares the shilling for Trump title, worked to nullify our deepest, most comprehensive, and pivotal international obligations (Geneva Conventions, freely used against Nazis and ignored by Bush/Chaney/Yoo), pushes warrior executive BS with no war, plus unitary executive heresy and likely on the FS shortlist for USSC. He includes the petigrees of Yale, Harvard, and UC all in one toxic Bolton-like package. A few of his students could likely nuke the Constitution (or Gas it, he's against poison gas treaties because, mass death) in seconds.
I took some online courses (MOOCs) from Ivy League schools. My impression was that our Democratic Republic was designed to protect the wealthy elite from the will of the masses. That is why we have checks and balances, bicameral, electoral college, etc. Madison explains in Federalist paper # 10. The masses can't be trusted, so "we" will make it almost impossible for them to get their way. It has worked the way it was intended. Although more than 70 % of the population wants single-payer universal healthcare, we still don't have it. Obama let us down, as did Clinton. They joined the ranks of the wealthy elite, as did many of our legislators who became wealthy after being elected.
Let’s also remember the elite business schools, including Harvard, which have taught their MBA students that increasing shareholder value is the goal of the corporation. Nothing else matters. This lesson has been the downfall of many once-great companies and part of the reason we have such inequitable distribution of wealth.
When I say the US has the best government money can buy, I also include the educational and the legal system in that indictment. Ask anyone poor or of color if they get justice in America and prepare to be laughed out of the house. We are a nation of ideals most often honored in their breach.
You shouldn’t have let Yale Law off so easily given that Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh and Josh Hawley are alums.
Mike Pompeo, Harvard Law